Advocates for Youth and Health Development

Contact Information

• Where – Nigeria (Western Africa)
• Website – www.advocate4youth.com/
• Contact Person – Patrick Chinedu Enwerem
• Email – chinedu43000@yahoo.com, advocate4youthandhealth@gmail.com
• Address – Suite 26, Vamako Complex, 156, Akowonjo Road, Akowonjo, Lagos State
• Other – Facebook

Areas of Expertise

Advocates for Youth and Health Development has expertise in a range of areas, including:

• Youth Empowerment

Main Aims and Objectives

Advocates for Youth and Health Development (AYHD) is a youth led non-governmental, non-partisan, non-profit organization engaged in peace promotion, conflict resolution, human rights and economic development, primarily through capacity-building, advocacy, research and documentation.

AYHD’s vision is to create a Nigerian society in which every Nigerian, young or old, works towards peacebuilding, intercultural harmony, social and political integration, justice, economic and health development.

AYHD’s mission is to work diligently, hand-in-hand with all stakeholders – parents, teachers, students, policymakers, community leaders etc. – to empower youth in the fields of peacebuilding, political participation, human rights, justice and economic development.

Upholding the Principles of Conflict Transformation

AYHD upholds the principles of conflict Transformation by involving our youths in the following:

• Professional and Skills Development – AYHD organizes entrepreneurship and business development, NGO management and volunteerism skills trainings in order to enable young people to acquire the skills they need to obtain employment or create new employment opportunities. Participants receive life skills training covering health, peacebuilding, human rights, gender-related education.
• Youth Sports and Leadership Camps – bringing together vulnerable youth from different backgrounds to participate in an innovative program that fosters cross-cultural communication and understanding, strengthens leadership skills and promotes active civic participation. Sports remains one of the things that fosters unity in Nigeria.
• Youth Trainings – AYHD conducts training workshops for youth, covering a range of topics including conflict mitigation, human rights, civic education, community mobilization and financial literacy.
• Parades and Awareness Raising Campaigns – to enlighten young people and supporters on the latest strategies in youth activism, done primarily through the commitment of volunteers, who are mostly-members of National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).

Where and with Whom

AYHD’s headquarters are located in the commercial capital of Nigeria, Lagos. AYHD is also in the process of opening a branch office in the south eastern city of Owerri.

AYHD is a network member of UNOY Peacebuilders based in the Netherlands, and is affiliated with the Institute for Humanitarian Studies and Social Development, the foremost humanitarian institute in Nigeria.

Main Activities in the Field of Conflict Transformation

AYHD’s main concern in the field of conflict transformation has been in the area of pre- and post-election violence. A lot has been written about the unfortunate outbreak of violence that greets the results of every election in Nigeria. Instead of offering solutions to this regrettable episode, however, Nigerian leaders – and indeed some citizens – have aggravated the situation through words and actions; in most cases, to score cheap political goals. Election violence is, therefore, one of the greatest threats to free and fair elections in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, there are different factors that cause election violence. In situations where some parties do not agree on whether or when to hold elections, some prefer using force, on the one hand, and educating the public, on the other. Some choose to disrupt the voting process and refuse to participate in elections either due to the nature of earlier negotiations – which were, for instance, perceived as biased due to such a measure as constituency demarcation – or due to fears of losing power.

There is also another type of election violence triggered by rivalry between the contestants, primarily seen from party nominations/primaries. Conflicts in the pre-electoral period are often connected to voter registration processes and their perception as being either unfair or biased. Boundary delimitation for electoral purposes and polling station locations have also often created tensions and lead to election violence in Nigeria.

The issue of ethnicity in election violence in Nigeria is a very serious one. In most cases, citizens are always divided according to ethnic belonging. Once a person belongs to the same ethnicity as a group of people, they see it as mandatory that their own must win. If they fail, violence often ensues. It is becoming a tradition in Nigeria for each tribe to support one of their own, even when it is obvious that he/she is not capable of delivering good governance. Like ethnicity, the issue of religion is another fact that seems to fuel election violence in Nigeria. In most cases, Nigerians are divided into the two major religious groups –  Christianity and Islam.

AYHD works to bring about a much-needed transformations as it concerns election violence by involving members of the National Youth Service (NYSC) as volunteers; training them on conflict transformation, and they in turn train and enlighten people at the grassroots level.